- Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Pune district along with four others
- The Learjet 45 crashed while attempting to land at Baramati Airport
- The aircraft caught fire after losing control during its second landing attempt
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's aircraft was attempting a second approach to Baramati Airport when it crashed this morning, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
The aircraft, a Learjet 45, was operated by a private company, VSR Ventures. It crashed around 9 am, killing 66-year-old Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board.
The plane reportedly lost control and crashed while landing at Baramati Airport. The aircraft caught fire after the crash.
A senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that there were five passengers onboard, including Ajit Pawar, his PSO and attendant, and two crew members (the pilot in command and the first officer).
Ajit Pawar left Mumbai around 8 am and was scheduled to address four election rallies in his hometown, Baramati, ahead of local body polls.
Ajit Pawar was born on July 22, 1959, in Deolali Pravara, a village in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district. His father, Anantrao Pawar, worked at the renowned Rajkamal Studios in Mumbai (then Bombay). His academic pursuits were cut short after the death of his father. He completed his formal education up to the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) level from the Maharashtra State Board.
His uncle Sharad Pawar was already an established Congress figure in state politics by 1982, when he was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory at the age of 23.
Ajit Pawar is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar, the daughter of Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, a former Maharashtra minister, and two sons, Jay Pawar and Parth Pawar.
